While historians read texts to better understand the past, osteologists ‘read’ bones to gain insight into how people lived and died. Osteology, the study of the human skeleton, is an integral part of the field called ‘bioarchaeology,’ the study of biological remains from archaeological contexts. In archaeological burials, teeth and bones are usually the only parts of the human body that are preserved. By looking at differences in the shape and size of certain bones and teeth, osteologists can estimate characteristics such as biological sex, age-at-death, and stature.

​

Bones can reveal signs of conditions such as arthritis and periodontal disease, as well as infectious diseases including tuberculosis, syphilis, and leprosy. The image above right shows the mandible (jawbone) of Sk 7968, a 36-45 year-old male from medieval Stoke Quay, Ipswich. Arrows point to dental calculus, periodontitis (advanced gum disease), and antemortem tooth loss. 

 

Osteologists can also analyse bone fractures to determine what type of activity may have led to an injury, and whether that injury occurred around the time of death or beforehand.

The image on the right shows the left ulna and radius (forearm) of a 36-45 year old female from medieval Stoke
Quay, Ipswich. Arrows point to two well-healed but ununited fractures.

 

When used together, these methods can help osteologists create an ‘osteobiography’, an in-depth description of a skeleton and the information gathered from studying it. This information can be combined with other historical and archaeological information to
enrich our understanding of the human past.

​

Image Credits to Eleanor Farber, with permission from Oxford Archaeology. 

​